He gave me a sideways glance, furious, but after catching sight of my tattoo too clever to act on his anger. This time he didn’t stop me as I took the steps up into the bus. My eyes wandered the rows of seats until they came to rest on familiar amber curls in the second to last row.
I ignored the staring crowd and headed toward Leona who watched me like I was an apparition, risen from hell. I stopped in front of her and held my hand out. “Come.”
“I’m leaving Las Vegas,” she said but her words lacked conviction. Her blue eyes seemed to see into the deepest, darkest parts of my soul, and I knew she hated what she saw. Love. No, she couldn’t love me.
“No, you are not. We have to talk. You are leaving the bus with me now.”
“Hey listen now, dude, if the lady doesn’t want to be with you, you have to grow a pair and accept it,” said a guy who looked like he had no fucking care in the world. Some backpacker kid who came from a nice family, had had a sheltered childhood and was now out for some adventure. I could give him more than that.
Some of the bravado slipped from his face. He swallowed.
Leona practically jumped from her chair, gripping my arm, fingernails digging in. I averted my eyes from backpacker kid and turned to her.
“I’m coming with you. Just…just let’s go now,” she whispered. I took her backpack from her and gestured for her to walk ahead of me. She did without protest. Nobody else tried to stop me, neither did backpacker kid again.
Outside a police car had pulled up beside the bus. The police officers were standing with the bus driver beside my car, talking into their radio set. Probably checking my license. Leona paused and gave me a questioning look. “You seem to be in trouble.”
I put my hand on her lower back, ignoring the way she shied away from my touch. She stared stubbornly ahead, not giving me a chance to read her face. I could tell that the only reason why she was cooperating at all was that there were too many people around I could potentially hurt.
The police officer lowered his radio set when he noticed me. He said something to his colleague, then they gestured at the bus driver to follow them. He looked stunned as he pointed in my direction. The older police officer yanked down the man’s arm and said something angrily, then nodded back toward the bus. Leona followed the scene with an incredulous expression. “Even the police?” she asked horrified.
I opened the car door for her. She hesitated.
“Las Vegas is ours.”
And you are mine.
She sank down on the leather seat and I closed the door. After I’d thrown her backpack in my trunk, I slipped behind the steering wheel and started the engine.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“Home.”
“Home?”
“To your mother. That’s your home for now, right?”
She frowned. “I’m not going back there. I’m leaving Las Vegas.”
“I told you you’re not.”
“Stop the car.” She began shaking beside me. “Stop the car!” she screamed. If anyone except for Remo had taken that tone with me, they would have regretted it thoroughly.
I pulled into a parking lot and shut down the engine before turning to face her.
She was glaring at the windshield and her fingers clutched her knees so hard, her knuckles were turning white. “You can’t make me stay,” she got out.
“I can and I am,” I told her. I knew I should have let her leave, should have given her the chance to move on, to find a better life, but I couldn’t.
“Haven’t you done enough already?” she asked in an angry whisper.
I raised my eyebrows. “I’ve never done anything to you.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“I found your mother for you. I saved your life.”
“You killed my father,” she hissed.
“Don’t tell me you miss him. Your mother definitely doesn’t.”
She paled as if I’d hit too close to home. “You dragged me into your darkness.”
“I didn’t drag you into anything. I didn’t force you to go on that first date. I didn’t force you to kiss me or to let me lick and finger you. You were a willing participant and we both know you enjoyed it. My darkness turned you on.”
Her eyes grew wide, but she didn’t deny it. She couldn’t. I leaned very close to her, relishing in that sweet scent of hers. Was she making me out to be the bad guy in this? Really? Did she not realize what I was putting on the line? Remo was going to be even more suspicious in the future. I was risking my status and what was I getting in return?
She pushed me away from her. “I will try to leave again and again. You can’t always be there to stop me.”